As kids living in Shakespeare Street, off Chichester road, we would often climb over the walls into folks backyards looking for empty Evans lemonade bottles as there was a 3p(Threepenny bit) return at the local shops. There was also another brand, Steels, but this was sold around the streets by a van-but we would always just leave any empty Steel bottles as there was 'nowt on them'
We would remove the rubber band on the Evans tops-roll it onto a piece if firewood kindling, place a bent hair grip in it and make a 'matchstick gun'
The top would then be used with a piece of string attached to make a cheap 'Whipping Top'
So finding an empty Lemonade bottle could give a kid hours of fun.

i remember evans lemonade in the early sixties and it was the best tasting of them all. i'm sure there was a place that produced it near to what is now the heworth metro station and seem to remember passing it on the way to newcastle along the felling byepass.

baldy.smith wrote:I used to sell Villa pop from my van. We used to get a weekly delivery, but in the summer when we ran out of supplies we used to drive to the factory and bring a load back with us. Those were the days when you had to pay a deposit on the bottles (3p) which was included in the price.

I remember Villa Pop around 1963 - Cream Soda. My Nan used to make me take the bottle back and get an old threepenny bit for it. Occasionally I'd bring a bottle back carrying it as if it were gold dust across the cobblestone roads to Corbett Street in Rekendyke near John Forsters shop & down from Handratty's rag shop... never saw traffic other than handcarts down those streets myself...One glass per week was all I got, but it was delicious - my daughter nowadays just quaffs pop down like its nothing to savour. I remember 'nanna (Isabella Ogle) had a high quality, (to me anyway), cut glass tumbler and I used to dip my finger into the pop and swirl round the rim -the glass would sing ! Happy Days

Delilahcat wrote:Corbett St? Think you may mean Corbridge St which was near John Forster's shop.

Might well be Delilah, its some time ago (62/4), and I haven't an old map to check and memories not what it was after all this time... The street used to run toward the river and one side of it the pavement was built up with high kerbstones, my Grans was on one corner with a huge gas lamp outside. Back down toward Eldon Street the corner before that, past the back lane, had John's Dad's shop on the other side, beyond that was the main road of Eldon Street the other side of the road past the shops had a huge crater and rows of demolished cleared land stretching off toward Frederick Street and high shields station. It was always filled with water where I'd sail boats made from crisp packets and lolly sticks, even after breaking the ice...(can't stand cold nowadays ); probably what started my interest in shipbuilding.

The corner diagonally opposite Forster's had a huge fire or water hydrant thing, which in good weather some jokers used to open to produce a fountain for the kids to play under. John eventually had a shop in Frederick Street for some years.

Looking for a photograph or photocopy of a Grieves ( of South Shields ) Lemonade Co. bottle label. It seems that the Back Winchester Street premises of the Evans Lemonade Co. may have took it over, any information etc much welcomed.

Anyone got any ideas where a Grieves bottle label may be found ? It's a long time ago now since the company was in business, but one never knows, somewhere perhaps such an item may have survived .....be nice to have a copy for 'old times sake'. My mother's maiden name was Grieves, and the Lemonade Co. was owned by a relation as I once recall her telling me.